VATICAN – The church needs to further integrate women into ecclesial life to confront the problems of clericalism and an exaggerated sense of masculinity, a Vatican official told the Synod of Bishops.

The role of a woman in the Church does not have to be second best. 

PUERTO MALDONADO, Peru – Society cannot look the other way and allow a culture that demeans the dignity of women to persist, Pope Francis said.

In a recent Facebook post, a Christian blogger named Dale Partidge said women are considered “old fashioned” if they accept the chivalrous actions of a man.

Bigoted. Patriarchal. Sexist.

We’ve all heard the way some people talk about the Catholic Church — in our schools, at work, in the mainstream media or on the Internet. They say it’s an ancient institution, stuck in the past, left behind by modern progress in women’s rights.